Car-fender.



C. T. KOBNIGSBERG.

v UAR FENDER. APPLIOATION FILED JULY zo, 1908.

f Patented Oct. 12,1909.

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Charles T.' Koeniqsberg o. T. KOENIGSBERG.

GAR FENDER.

APPLIUATIONNIILBD JULY 2o. 190s.

936,782, Y l Patented 0013. 12, 1909.

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NITEI) STATES PA-TENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. KOENIGSBERG, F HOLLAND, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TOHENRY KOENIGSBERG, SR., 0F HOLLAND, MICHIGAN.

CAR-FENDER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed. July 20, 1908. Serial No. 444,343.

the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The presentinvention relates to improvements in car-fenders, and it hasfor its principal object the provision of an extremely simple device ofthat class comprising a buffer and a scoop, both of which are attachedto the floor in such a manner as to be capable of a swinging movement,the scoop being normally held in raised or inoperative position by acatch which is automatically released from engagement therewith when thebuffer strikes a body or other obstruction lar construction of thescoop.

The preferred embodiment of the invent-ion is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts are deisignated bythe same reference characters throughout the several views.

Of the said drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmental sideelevation of thefront platform of a car equipped with the improved fender, the scoopbeing shown in its raised ,position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionshowing the scoop lowered. Fig. 3 is al bottom plan view of Fig. l. Fig.4 is a front elevation.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A designates generallythefront platform of the car, B thel scoop, C the buer, and D the catchlocated'between the latter and the scoop. l

The buer, asshown in'Figs. 3 and4, consists primarily of upper and lowerarcuate or yoke-shaped members l and 2 connected by a series of verticalstraps 3, the central strap having its lower end curved forwardly, so asto dispose the front port-ion of the lower yoke in advance of that ofthe upper yoke, which latter, however, has its legs extending beyondthose of said lower yoke. The buffer as a whole, is pivoted to a pair ofdepending brackets 4 secured to the forward portion of the floor of theplatform A, the

reduced free ends of said brackets projecting through the openingsformed in the legs of the upper yoke l adjacent the rear ends thereof.The forward portion of the buffer is normally forced upwardly or towardthe floor of the platform, owing to the interposition of a pair ofexpansible coil springs 5 between the extreme rear ends of the legs ofthe yoke l and the floor, such upward movement being limited by means ofa stop block 6 fastened to the upper yoke member l which stop block isthus forced into contact with the floor as shown in Fig. 4.

The scoop B which is disposed longitudinallyof the car and is located inthe rear of the buffer is pivotally connected with the floor of theplatform for movement toward and from the ground, the rear end of thescoop being provided with lateral trunnions which lit in perforationsformed through a pair of depending brackets 7 which are secured to saidfloor, the side edges of the scoop being cut away at their rear ends topermit the formation of said trunnions. The scoop, as shown in Fig. 2consists of front and rear sections 8 and 9 set at an angle to eachother, and integrally connected together at their mutually-adjacentinner edges, said sections having a series of longitudinal slots 10formed therein to decrease the weight of the scoop. The scoop'is furthersupported from the platform by means of a pair of chains or otherflexible elements ll which are connected at their lower -ends to theside edges of the front section S and at their upper ends to theadjacent edges of the platform, the length of the chains determining theextent of the downward movement of the scoop as will be understood. Thescoop is normally retained in its raised or inoperative position bymeans of the engagement of the hooked lower end of a catch D, with thebeveled forward edge of the section 8, said catch being pivoted at itsupper end to the rear end of a longitudinally-disposed strap 13 which isbolted or otherwise secured Patented oet. 12, 1909.

to the lower face of the vfloor of the platform and is located betweenthe scoop and the buffer, as shown in Fig. 4. At its front end, thestrap is formed with a depending shoulder 14 between which and the catchis interposed an expansible coil spring 15 which bears at opposite endsagainst the rear wall of the shoulder and the front face of the catch,the tension of the spring forcing said catch yieldingly toward thescoop. The spring'itself is retained in position in any desired manneras for instance, by having its ends fitted in openings formed in theshoulder and the catch, the upper end of which latter is preferablybifurcated to admit of its straddling the strap, owing to whichconstruction, it is held against lateral displacement. The catch hasfurther connected thereto the rear end of a chain or similar flexibleelement 16 whose forward end is made fast to an eye-bolt or securing pin17 lslet into the stop block 6, said chain having connected thereto,intermediate its ends, the rear end of a second chain 18, whose upperend extends through an opening 19 formed in the front end of a platformand terminates in a ring or similar device 20 by means of which it istensioned, the diameter of the ring being greater than that of saidopening.v In like manner, the scoop is connected with a chain 21 whoselower end is fastened to the section 8, and whose upper portion extendsthrough an opening 22 formed in the platform in alinement'with theopening 19. The upper end of said chain 21 likewise terminates'in a ringor other operating device 23.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that during the progress of thecar, if the buffer comes in contact with a prostrate body or otherobstruction upon the track, its contact with such obstruction will causeit to swing rearwardly upon its pivots, whereupon the catch D willbereleased from en gagement with the scoop, owing to the tightening ofthe chain 16. The scoop is then free to move downwardly of its ownweight into operative position, so as to pick up the obstruction. overwhich the buer has ridden. When the car has been brought to a stop andthe body removed from the scoop, the latter may be raised intoengagement with the catch by means of the chain 21, the passage of thechain through the opening 22 in the floor of the platform rendering 1tunnecessary for the motorman to leave the car.

i I t will be further understood that owing to the connection of thesupplemental chain 18 with the main or operating chain 1G, the lattermay be tightened, and the catch in consequence, released from engagementwith the scoop by the motorman independent of any movement of thebuffer, the chain 18 extending through the opening 19 so as to permit itto be grasped by the motorman.

The forward extension of the bul'l'er, as well as the bowing thereofpermits the buller to be rocked upon coming into contact with anobstruction upon the tracks, and to easily ride over such obstruction,at the termination of the rocking movement.

Further description of the invention is deemed unnecessary in view ofthe foregoing.

That is claimed is:

1. rlhe combination with a car platform having a pair of openings formedthrough its floor, one in advance of the other, of alongitudinally-disposed scoop pivoted at its rear end to the floor formovement toward and from the ground; a movable catch attached to thefloor in advance of the scoop and arranged for engagement with the frontend thereof when the scoop is in its raised position; a swinging bufferpivoted to the floor in advance of the catch; a flexible elementconnecting the buffer and the catch for releasing the latter fromengagement with the scoop when the buffer is swung in one direction, topermit the scoop to swing downwardly; a flexible element connected atits lower end to the scoop and extending through the rear opening in theplatform floor, to permit the scoop to be raised into engagement withthe catch; and a flexible element connected at its rear end to thefirstmentioned flexible element for automatically releasing the catchfrom engagement with the scoop independently of the movement of thebufl'er.

2. The combination with a car platform having front and rear pairs ofdepending brackets secured to its floor, of a longitudinally-disposedscoop pivoted at its rear end to the rear pair of bracket-s, formovement toward and from the ground; a swinging buffer pivoted to t-hefront pair of brackets; a strap secured to the floor between the scoopand buffer, and provided at its foi'- fard end with a. dependingshoulder; a depending catch pivoted to the rear end of the strap andarranged for engagement with the front end of the buffer when the latteris raised; means interposed between the shoulder and the catch fornormally forcing the latter toward the scoop; and a flexible elementconnected at its opposite ends to the buffer and the catch, forautomatically releasing the latter from engagement with the scoop whenthe buffer is swung in one direction, to permit the scoop to swingdown.- wardly.

3. The combination with a car platform having front and rear pairs ofdepending brackets secured to its floor, of a longitudinally-disposedscoop pivoted at its rear end to the rear pair of brackets, for movementtoward and from the ground; a forwardlybowed buffer pivoted to the frontpair of brackets, the lower portion of the buffer projecting beyond theupper portion thereof; a

strap secured to the floor between the buffer and the scoop, said strapbeing provided at its forward end with a depending shoulder;v

a catch pivoted to the rear end of the strap and arranged for engagementwith the front end of the scoop when the latter is in its raisedposition; means interposed between said shoulder and catch, for normallyforcingthe latter toward the scoop; and a'flexible element connected atits opposite ends to the buer and the catch, for automatically releasingthe latter from engagement with the scoop when the buffer is swung inone direction, to permit the scoop to swing downwardly.

4. The combination with a car platform having front and. rear pairs ofdepending brackets secured to its floor, of a longitudinally-disposedscoop pivoted at its rear end for movement toward and from the ground; abuffer pivoted to the front pair of brackets, said buffer comprisingupper and lower arcuate straps, the lower strap projecting forwardly ofthe upper strap; means interposed between the ends of one of said strapsand the floor for normally holding the forward portion of the buffer inraised position; a strap secured to the floor between the bull'er andthe scoop, said strap being profor automatically releasing the latterfrom engagement with the scoop, when the buEer is rocked against theaction of the first-mentioned means, to permit the scoop to swingdownwardly.

In testimony whereof, I alx my signa- L.'

ture, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. KOENIGSBERG. Witnesses:

CHARLES S. MCBRIDE, WM. H. THORNTON.

